Microsoft Continues Promotion On Windows 7, Office 2007 For SMBs

In an apparent bid to lure the small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) still using earlier iterations of Windows and Office suites, Microsoft Corp. has started the New Year with some significant discounts on Windows 7 Professional as well as Office 2010 Professional applications.

Last week, the software giant has noted that it would be extending its ongoing half price volume discount offer to SMBs still working with Windows XP and Server 2003 suites.

Under the “Up To Date Discount” scheme, which expires on the 30th June 2010, the software maker is offering to prospective customers a full 50 percent discount on Open Value subscriptions of the first year’s charges of Windows 7 Professional upgrade, or Office 2010 Professional upgrade.

The extension of the discount offer was quoted by Eric Ligman, global partner experience chief with Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Group, in a blog post on New Year’s Day.

Incidentally, when it’s about the operating system business, Microsoft is its own major competitor, as sometimes the tight budgets as well as the comfort level with the existing versions hinder the businesses to go for comprehensive OS upgrade.

This time too, Microsoft is pouring efforts in enticing SMBs to shift from the previous versions of Windows OS, primarily XP, to the latest Windows 7 Professional edition.

Our Comments

The 50 percent discount offer on Windows is available only to the enterprises running previous versions of Windows and Office (ed: wouldn't really make sense if they did the promotion for current applications, would it?).